NFL Draft 2015: Danny Shelton selected 12th overall by the Browns

It didn't take long for Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton to come off the board. He was considered among the top three interior defensive linemen prospects by most scouts, along with fellow Pac-12 alumni Leonard Williams (USC) and Arik Amstead (Oregon). He is the first player selected from the Husky defense.

After spending one season behind Alameda Ta'amu, Shelton became a three-year starter for Washington. He had been viewed as purely a run-stuffing nose tackle up until his senior season until he exploded for 9.5 sacks, showing a skill set that he had never before utilized (partly due to playing through an arm injury his junior year). To go along with the near double-digit sacks, Shelton showed a motor like few others at the nose tackle spot, tallying 93 tackles, going sideline to sideline to bring down ball-carriers and chase down screen plays.

Here is an excerpt from our profile of Shelton before the draft:

Rare size and exceptional strength. Perfectly suited for the role of the nose tackle: engaging and occupying multiple blockers in order to plug up the middle of the defense. Despite playing well over his listed weight of 339, Shelton consistently chased ball-carriers from sideline to sideline, recording tackles that no nose tackle should ever be expected to make. Owed many of his sacks to pure hustle. Despite this extra exertion, he managed to play over 80% of Washington's defensive snaps. Off the field, a three-time first-team Academic All-American who overcame the adversity of witnessing his brother's murder shortly before the beginning of his college career.

You can read the entire profile here.

Congratulations, Danny! Dawg fans everywhere wish you success in the NFL.